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You’re Right, Justice, It is About NOT Giving Up

by Jane Chin, Ph.D. on April 6th, 2006

I went to Justice’s website after receiving her comment on my post on Quality of Life, and read her post called, “It’s About NOT Giving Up.”

And she’s right, it is about not giving up. It’s about focusing on what is precious, what can be done, what can be shared. We’ve always heard that “life’s too short for ____”, and when a doctor comes along and tells you that this may the case for a loved one or for you, then it is more important than ever to focus on the good, to focus on hope, and to focus on love and support.

I don’t believe for one second that cancer patients and their family members have a pollyanna mindset. I do believe that how you perceive the world and process your thoughts will shape what that world looks like to you, and in turn, affect other people around you.

One of my most respected coaches is a survivor of bladder cancer. She was diagnosed more than twenty years ago with late stage disease. Her doctor didn’t learn sensitivity training that many oncologists do learn. She didn’t give up, and she started focusing on what is really important to her. Then she not only survived, she has thrived (and is now my career coach, bless her heart). She loves to laugh, and I love laughing with her.

Reading Justice’s post also reminded me of something I heard when I was a new graduate student at Roswell Park Cancer Institute. I’ll tell you about this tomorrow :)

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